Jonathan Jones on art + Greece holidays | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog+travel/greece
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2016Fri, 09 Dec 2016 15:49:44 GMT2016-12-09T15:49:44Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2016The Guardianhttps://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttps://www.theguardian.com
Help save Greece! It's time for tactical travel | Jonathan Joneshttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/jun/23/greece-travel-holiday-delphi
A holiday to see one of humanity's greatest civilisations may be just the boost the economy needs right now. After all, we owe them for Delphi<p>It seems a bit beside the point, when demonstrators in Athens are shaking the world economy's disconcertingly fragile frame, and a nation is forced to choose <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/22/greece-default-likely-says-top-bond-investor" title="">between economic masochism and who knows what</a>. But Greece is very beautiful; and, in fact, it's not beside the point at all. Tourism is <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/20/greece-tourism-thriving-debt-crisis" title="">one remaining hope for the Greek economy</a> and so, as summer blooms, it is worth thinking about some of the artistic and architectural reasons for going there.</p><p><a href="http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/delphi.html" title="">Delphi in Greece</a> has a strong claim to being the most stunning landscape on earth. It has stayed in my mind ever since my one brief visit there as the archetype of all classical landscape paintings, the dream location that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Golden_bough.jpg" title="">Turner</a>, <a href="http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-landscape-with-narcissus-and-echo" title="">Claude</a> and <a href="http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/nicolas-poussin-landscape-with-a-man-washing-his-feet-at-a-fountain" title="">Poussin</a> were all somehow trying to evoke in their glowing visions of temples among vistas of unfolding hills. In my memory, Delphi's crystal-blue sky, bright white marble and silver olive leaves sparkle more than Turner's brightest canvas. This landscape seems airborne, weightless. Its pure colours and the perfect harmony of culture and nature lift it into a fantasy world of gods and goddesses. At Delphi, the <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999996&amp;workid=14748" title="">Greek myths become real</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/jun/23/greece-travel-holiday-delphi">Continue reading...</a>Art and designSculptureArtArchaeologyGreece holidaysTravelCultureThu, 23 Jun 2011 15:11:57 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/jun/23/greece-travel-holiday-delphiPhotograph: GettyWhere myth becomes reality ... Delphi in Greece. Photograph: Getty ImagesPhotograph: GettyWhere myth becomes reality ... Delphi in Greece. Photograph: Getty ImagesJonathan Jones2011-06-23T15:11:57Z